Skip to main content

277. Enemy Territory

Key Verse: "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray."
John 16:1

When the great prophet Elijah called out the prophet Elisha to be his assistant in ministry, he symbolized the call by throwing his cloak over Elisha's shoulders. (1 Kings 19:19-21) When Elijah knew that he would be called home, he warned Elisha to pay attention and, if Elisha saw Elijah's departure, his request would be answered that he would receive a double portion of the Holy Spirit that had guided Elijah. Sure enough, Elisha paid attention, saw Elijah depart in the fiery chariot and stooped to pick up the cloak that fell from Elijah's shoulders as he departed. (2 Kings 2:9-14)

Here, we see Jesus doing something similar, throwing His cloak of ministry over the shoulders of His disciples. These men have seen Jesus face opposition. Now, Jesus is letting them know that their turn will come soon to pick up His mantel and carry on His ministry. He has already promised that the Holy Spirit will be with them, but He has also let them know that it doesn't mean that their call will be an easy one. After all, if they follow Him, this world is no longer be their home. They are in enemy territory.

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first." (John 15:18) Hate seems like such a strong word in today's vocabulary of political correctness. Yet, it is a fitting word, whether we choose to admit it or not. Satan hates Jesus and the people of this world do too, when they learn what Jesus is really all about. As we shall see, the world wanted Jesus dead and gone. Can there be any stronger hatred than that?  In the same way, they hate us if we are faithful Christians.  But we don’t hate them because we are no longer of this world.  God equips us to love our enemies.

From time to time, during this journey, we have seen Jesus trying to prepare the disciples for His death with dismal results. They couldn't understand what He was saying. If He was Messiah, how could this be?

Also, just as we do not overwhelm children with information before they are mature enough to handle it, Jesus has waited until now to try to prepare them with the knowledge that they will soon follow in His footsteps. Ready or not, as His chosen friends, His ministry will be the course of their lives. If they remember His words, they will know that what they will experience is how it should be. They have been warned. Jesus knows the course. If they continue trusting in Him they will not lose the path.

In fact, we see some of the fulfillment of Jesus’ words soon after the church is born.  The death of Stephen with the approval of Saul is the first installment. (Acts 7:54-60) As events unfold, as Jesus warned they would, the disciples will gain confidence in His message.

Tonight, however, there is simply confusion. The men have enjoyed the traditional Seder with their beloved teacher. They are content and drowsy from the day. There will be time for His words to sink in, but not now.

"Remember the words I spoke to you, "No servant is greater than his master." If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the one who sent Me." (John 15:20-21) Remember, they don't see Him, they see you.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...

These Boots are Made for Walking

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-15 These Boots are Made for Walking. Of course, I picked that title because it has a reference to popular culture, and it connects with our text today about “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” I was tempted to play the video of that song, but it’s really not amenable to worship. If you remember that old song, it was quite confrontational. The singer had a righteous complaint against a boyfriend or spouse who was cheating on her. She’s not going to put up with that, and the song goes on to say, “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!” And that “take a stand” bravado made her a hero! It was a #1 hit in 1966. I mention it because it has one interesting parallel and one major contrast with the message of grace and forgiveness. That parallel is this. God has a righteous complaint against the entire human race for cheating Him out of the loving relationship He desires with us. As the God who created us, he h...

186. Ten Healed, Or One?

Luke 17:11-19 Key Verse: Then He said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:19 At last, Jesus has left the crowd behind and again is continuing His journey toward Jerusalem. His path takes Him and His disciples along the border of Judea and Samaria, between the pure Jews, and the hated half breeds of the day. On His way, Jesus encounters an interesting group of people. We only learn the nationality of one of them and, though we don't know the nationality of the others, because Jesus sends them to the priests in Jerusalem we can probably assume that at least some of them are Jews. Isn't it interesting that through leprosy, a disease that causes much suffering, the dividing wall of hatred has come down for the sake of companionship? We encountered one leper earlier on our Journey. Lepers were the dreaded untouchables of the day. Their disease cut them off from all they loved. It was a very lonely life. No wonder these people had ...